


Ramyeon with Eggs

by Dryad



Category: Hogu's Love
Genre: F/M, PG
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-18 13:20:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16995759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dryad/pseuds/Dryad
Summary: "Appa Kangchul?"Huh.Had a nice ring to it.





	Ramyeon with Eggs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sorori](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sorori/gifts).



"I...didn't realize that was possible - " said Kangchul, peering at Geumdong.

Hogu nodded, as fascinated as he was disgusted. "I know, right? I mean, I've heard about it happening, but to see it in real life..."

"There are towels in the bathroom - "

"Yes...I'll go...oh my god, he's doing it again!" 

They stared at the baby in horror.

"How is it physically possible for one tiny person to produce that much vomit, and at that volume?" Kangchul stepped away, hands bunched against his chest.

"Like a little firehose," said Hogu, gingerly approaching Geumdong, who had not woken at all. Leaning away while still trying to pluck at Geumdong's wrap was impossible. He was just going to have to face it head on.

Kangchul waved a kitchen towel at arm's length towards Hogu, carefully keeping his distance. Well, if Hogu had the choice he would be doing the same thing. There was just something about the smell that was somehow far worse than anything to come out of Geumdong's diaper. Nonetheless, it had to be done.

Taking a deep breath, Hogu dove in. He could use this experience in a webtoon at some point in the future, yes, yes he would. Unwrapping a baby was easy when they were sleeping, that much was certain. Geumdong fussed a little, but he was cooling down now. Which was good. The last thing Hogu wanted to do was call Dohee and explain why he had to bring Geumdong to the hospital. "Okay, Geumdong-ssi, is my little sweetpea feeling better, I hope? You need your rest, my little love. Sleep."

Hogu used the toilet and washed his hands, checked his complexion in the mirror. Hmm, taking care of a baby didn't seem to be affecting him too much. The slight dark circles under his eyes and lack of sleep could easily be chalked up a late night out instead of being held hostage by a four month old. Stockholm Syndrome didn't seem so bad, not when it was Geundong-nim teaching him all the things he needed to know.

Back in the living room, he eyed Geumdong before heading into the kitchen, where Kangchul was chopping green onions. "Dohee will be home soon," said Kangchul, nodding at a pot full of water in the sink. "Put that on, will you?"

Hogu did as asked, putting the burner on high and making sure to cover the pot tightly. Eomma always swore it make the water boil faster, so he thought he should do the same. Eomma was never wrong when it came to cooking. He put his back to the counter and leaned on it, watched Kangchul assemble slices of cheese, Spam, eggs, slim little bundles of enoki mushrooms, and of course his shaker of fine gochugaru. The man was obsessed, adding it to almost everything apart from the hottest ramyeon.

"Have you seen netizen comments today?"

Hogu nodded. "People are eagerly anticipating my new book, which means I can put a deposit down soon."

Kangchul glanced at him quickly and away again, the kind of look Hogu had tried to show in the webtoon and always failed miserably. 

He had been afraid of this reaction. Moving closer to Kangchul, he patted him gingerly on his shoulder. "It's going to be fine, I promise. You'll have this place to yourself for once and all, without a baby crying at all hours of the night, long hair in the shower. You won't smell a dirty diaper again unless you want to."

There was no response to his overture other than a slight tightening of Kangchul's mouth. Hogu didn't know what else to do, what to say. Never in a million years would he have guessed that their relationship - he couldn't think of a better word - would be anything like this. Kangchul was no longer his rival, yet they weren't exactly friends, either. Hyungs... wasn't quite right, either. That left only one option, one he wasn't yet ready to explore. 

He tried again. "You won't lose us, you know that, right? Dohee will always be there, and so will I, and Geumdong needs his Uncle Kangchul - "

As soon as he words left his mouth, he knew he had made an error. Not the invitation, no. His error was in blasting on ahead as he did with everything, not waiting for Dohee's okay, not thinking of any consequences. Not apart from what Geumdong might need in the future. Yes, he had his eyes more firmly on that than anything else. 

Besides, maybe Kangchul didn't want to be an uncle! Maybe his goal in life was to remain unmarried and alone here in this perfectly decorated large flat. Personally Hogu preferred something with a little more...personality. Not that Kangchul didn't have any, it was just that the flat was cold. Pretty, but cold. Hogu sighed. It wasn't his place to judge how any one else lived.

"Uncle Kangchul..." mused Kangchul, dropping spice mix into the just-barely boiling water. He put in another and two packets of dried vegetables, then covered the pot again. He frowned and looked stove's backsplash. Clearly whatever he was seeing, it wasn't the tile. "Appa Kangchul?"

For a long moment Hogu simply stared at Kangchul, his mouth open wide enough to catch flies, as his own Appa would say. 

"I like it," said Kangchul, removing the pot lid and adding two discs of ramyeon noodles. He poked them into the water with chopsticks. "Banchan."

_Appa Kangchul_. Well, why not? 

The table was already set, leaving only the banchan to put out. Hogu kept it simple; cold rice, kimchi, pickled radish, a small bowl of toasted kim cut into tiny strips the length of his pinky. Just as he laid down a bowl of gochujang the front door warbled.

"I'm home!" said Dohee loudly.

"Shhh! Geumdong's sleeping!" Kangchil shout-whispered.

"Sorry!" she shout-whispered back.

Hogu smiled as he watched her eagerly go straight to the pack 'n' play. She was always beautiful, but seeing her with her child, she became more luminous than before. And then her nose wrinkled and when she looked at him, he knew he was busted. "I can explain -"

Shaking her head, she gave one last loving look towards Geumdong, but left him asleep, coming in to the kitchen with a stride that brooked no excuses.

"Ramyeon for dinner," said Kangchul, cracking the eggs against the rim of the pot, one in each hand. 

"Good, I'm hungry," she answered. Tilting her head to one side, she glared at Hogu. "Explain."

"He's had a bit of a fever," said Hogu, all his facts at the ready. "He threw up - "

"Appa Kangchul gave him medicine while Hogu was in the bathroom," said Kangchul, nodding, adding the Spam to the pot too.

Hogu grimaced; Spam first, _then_ remove and poach the eggs. It was too messy to do at the same time. Chances were high you would break the eggs if if the Spam got caught in the whites as they poached. "His fever's down and he's sleeping, he's fine!"

Dohee's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely - "

"Appa Kangchul did his research," Kangchul removed the eggs and returned the noodles he had set aside back to the pot, along with the mushrooms and the cheese. While Dohee and Hogu stared at him, he stirred in a few green onions and then gave a little satisfied nod. "Let's eat!"

Carrying the pot, Kangchul passed between Dohee and Hogu. Dohee lifted her eyebrows and mouthed 'appa?'

Hogu shrugged. After a second she shrugged and followed Kangchul to the table. 

A second later Hogu followed.

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, I'd forgotten how much I loved Hogu's Love! I caught it earlier this year before it left Viki (rip DramaFever), but unfortunately had to rely on recaps to write this.
> 
> And it was a struggle! I stressed for weeks and I'm not entirely sure I've been successful in showing what I wanted to show, which, alas, I only figure out 3/4s of the way through...
> 
> ...in any case, I hope you enjoyed this little scene.


End file.
